Using animals for entertainment

Animals weren't created to be actors or clowns and yet thousands of them are forced to perform for the sake of human entertainment. Most of the stunts are demeaning and a lot of the animals are beaten if they don't perform well. Some are even denied proper veterinary care.

Some animals are used for fighting games like roosters, horses or dogs. Dogfighting and cockfighting are illegal in all 50 states of the US. In England bears were forced to fight dogs until one of the two died. These things are cruel.

In general, it should be illegal to use animals for sports and entertainment. Animals used for entertainment are often abused and exploited. They may be chained or confined for more than 11 hours. They are sometimes deprived of food.

Humans are not used for entertainment against their will so why should lions, elephants, orcas or dolphins endure it? Most wild animals do not aspire to careers in show business. The use of animals for “entertainment” removes them from their natural habitat and deprives them of the ability to freely engage in instinctual behaviours.

We have used animals in the context of sports and entertainment for a long time. Moreover, fighting bulls have a better quality of life than meat-producing bulls so we shouldn't condemn it. Horse races and dog races are very common. Not every entertainment involves harmful effects to animals. Traditional bull fighting is a tradition and has been done for hundreds of years. Events like the Melbourne Cup bring people together, gives jobs and possibilities to a lot of people.

Animals used in circuses spend most of their lives chained inside boxcars and never get to live freely. Countless circus and rodeo animals live in tiny and filthy spaces. In some Chinese zoos, live killing is encouraged. Dog fighting is one of the most serious forms of animal abuse. Rodeo animals who are usually docile are provoked into displaying “wild” behaviour to make the cowboys look brave. Animals feel fear, stress, exhaustion and pain just like we do. Animals are forced to perform demeaning and unnatural tricks to entertain the public in circuses. Some horses have died in the Melbourne Cup because they were whipped too hard. Hunting wild animals with dogs for sport was banned in Scotland in 2002 and England and Wales in 2004.

Cruelty to animals is a crime. These sports involve unwilling animal participants that only think of it as survival. All too often animals suffer for our amusement or entertainment. Animals belong in the wild, not in an arena. When we go to the circus or the zoo, we usually don't think about the welfare of the animals involved. In many contries like Singapore, Sweden and Austria using animals for sports and entertainment is already illegal.

China has banned animal circuses and Bolivia live animals from traveling circuses. Circus animal entertainment is morally wrong and should be banned everywhere in the world. No wild animal should be forced to live in captivity. Circuses make poor animals suffer. Elephants start being abused when they are babies to break their spirits. I am opposed to using animals for entertainment if their social, physical or psychological needs are not met.

We should rescue animals that are used for entertainment. We cannot let elephants be beaten and electric shocked. They are one of the smartest animals. People are now changing, thinking about animals more like companions and paying more attention to their treatement and living conditions in circuses, zoos or theme parks. Animals should be in their natural habitat: exploring, seeking mates and raising families. Lebanon is another country who is against the use of animals for entertainment. Its time to ban all cruel pastimes and sports that harm animals. Angling, bull fighting, circuses, horse racing, zoos and aquaria and marine parks are all usually harmful to animals. The animals are deprived of a normal existence. I encourage you to sign petitions to stop animal circuses in areas where they are not yet banned.

Please check out Imani's essay: https://humorous10.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/animal-rights-tiec-youth-voices/